2015 Mesa Sprint Triathlon

October 10, 2015

This was a total family event.  Kandyce and I were doing this race for the 2^nd time.  Last time, the three girls teamed up to do the race as a relay.  This time, Devon, Chantelle, and Melissa were doing this distance for the first time.  Brooke and Bryson were teaming up for the relay with Brooke in the water and Bryson on the bike and run. 

Chantelle has been on the Cross Country team so she has been running regularly since early summer.  Melissa loves her new bike and she has been training in all three disciplines.  She has overcome plantar fasciitis to be able to run again through Astym treatments, physical therapy, and self exercises.  Bryson got out and did a couple runs and rides, but his fitness mainly revolves around football.  Devon didn’t do anything.  He says he rides to his friend’s house and he does parkour, so that should be good.  We’ll see.  Kandyce has worked hard at the gym and has done a lot of running as she prepares for the Gilbert Half Marathon.  She has done some swimming and riding as well.  Me?  I was still in recovery from St. George marathon the week before, but I felt I could still improve on my previous time from 2 years ago.

I set the alarm, woke the gang, and loaded up the bikes.  Melissa and Bryson walked to the start since they live so close.  We found them and started to get registered and marked.  The morning was comfortable and not too hot. The only problem during setup was Bryson had a flat.  We put on a patch and hoped it would hold.

Brooke is a great swimmer and she started first.  Then Kandyce followed me into the pool.  I passed a few swimmers and a few passed me.  There was only one annoying swimmer that passed on the inside and caused some problems.  Out of the water and off to the bike.

I have new tri cycling shoes and I went without socks for the first time.  That saved about 15s (and totally worth it:-), and it felt fine.  In fact, I liked the feel of the cool air on my feet as I started out.  In transition I saw Bryson saying that his tire was low; dang.  I told him to go run anyway.

On the bike I started hammering up the hill on the first lap.  Only one rider passed me during the whole bike segment.  I’m not sure if he was on the same lap as me and I couldn’t see his number to find out how well he finished.  I was aiming for 22mph average and nailed it.  On to the run. 

I still didn’t put on socks figuring that 5km was not going to cause any foot issues.  It was getting a bit warmer, but not overly so.  I saw Chantelle and Devon out on the bike, but not the others.  On the run I was aiming for low 7 minute pace, but I could not get there with the fatigue from the marathon.  So I held what I could get.  On the return I saw Kandyce on the other side of the road.  During the last mile a woman passed me, but I stayed in her draft.  With about a half mile to go, I slipped past her and didn’t see her again.  The last bit of the run is on grass so I was careful of my footing worried a divot would take me down. 

Across the field and into the stadium for the finishing chute.  I saw Brooke and my parents on the left.  I was glad to have someone cheering this week!  I crossed the line and did have a PR at 1:05:25.  For a time I was listed as first overall, but I could tell that the swim time was not included.  I told the timer and he didn’t believe me at first, but he finally figured it out.  I was 10^th overall and 2^nd in my age group!  A podium finish for my sponsor.

Kandyce had a PR and won her age group.  Chantelle was 3^rd in her age group.  Devon came next and did surprisingly well for the amount of training he did.  Melissa finished the run and was pleased to be able to run it out.  Bryson ended up doing two laps on the bike with a low tire, and then did the run.  My cousin JJ brought up the rear and he was thrilled.

It was so fun to do this event with the whole family.  It has given us something to work on together.  I think Chantelle was the most surprised at how much fun she had.  I think they will all want to do more races, but not next week though!  Mesa Sprint is a great tri for beginners and veterans alike.  Very well organized and a fun course.  Maybe we’ll be back next year!

Road to Boston: 2015 St George Marathon

October 3, 2015

2015 was my 3^rd time applying to run in the St. George Marathon.  I had applied the previous two years, but did not get picked in the lottery.  Their policy is if you apply three years in a row and don’t get selected the first two, you are automatically in the third time, hence 3^rd time is a charm.  Turns out this year, the race did not sell out before the lottery, so everyone who applied got in any way! 

I had already qualified for Boston at the Phoenix Marathon, so my goal heading into the race was to improve on my time to get a better starting position at Boston, and execute the race to be steady in the last 6 miles unlike Phoenix where I dropped off and gave up too much time.

My build up for St George Marathon was about 80% of the running volume of Phoenix, but with swimming and running, my overall workout volume was higher.  I followed a similar training plan with four runs a week: intervals, tempo, long run, and recovery.  The Thursday group run at Cadence Running was always either a tempo run or an interval run and is always a challenge which pushes my limits.  DB and PR typically have hard intervals to follow and sometimes I could not keep up, especially if I had done a hard session the day before.  But there were some I was able to hang on to.

My weekly mileage was in the high thirties for the six weeks prior to the race.  My last several long runs I ran goal marathon pace for the last 5-7 miles to simulate running at pace when fatigued.  Two weeks prior to the marathon I ran 20 miles in Stuttgart in a forest with hills so I could practice running down long hills late in the run.  The last long run was at Tempe Town Lake with CC, MW, DT, and EK and it was a good workout for me with long stretches of steady pacing.

On September 30, I received an email saying I did not get accepted into the Boston marathon.  Since more runners apply to race Boston than they have room for, the runners get in to the race based on fastest qualifying times for each age group.  My qualifying time was 1:51 ahead of the standard, and in years past it would have been a large enough buffer to get in.  This year the cutoff was 2:28, so I missed by 37 seconds!  I was surprised and very disappointed.  I was really looking forward to running in the oldest marathon in the US and the most famous marathon in the world.  I started to channel my frustration into motivation to run a better qualifying time at St. George.  I was confident in my training and the course is favorable for a fast time.  I was determined.

My previous best marathon was 3:23 and I set a stretch goal of 3:16, which is an average of 7:30 mins/mi.  It was aggressive, but I believed I could run that pace.  MP asked me why 3:16 and why not 3:15 since there would probably be a pace group for 3:15. I didn’t have a good answer for him; I just felt 3:16 was where my fitness and ability was for this course.  I found a pacing plan online that adjusted the target pace for each mile based on an overall average pace goal and the difficulty level of each mile.  I studied this plan and worked out the slowest my cumulative average would be so I could monitor it easily during the race.  I also watched a video online which had a flythrough of the course so I could study it out.  I visualized the pacing I would need at each stage and I prepared myself mentally for the hurting I would experience late in the race.

My biggest execution goal was to maintain my pace in the last 6 miles and not stop to walk, not even through the aid stations.  I learned from my experience at Phoenix that walking does not make running easier afterwards and all it does is waste time.  Walking to complete a marathon may be an effective strategy for some, but walking does not help when racing.  I had trained to build up my ability to run hard when fatigued and my experience at Ironman 70.3 in St. George showed me I could keep running when it was very hard. 

This race almost did not happen for me.  The week prior to the race I found out my boss needed me to attend a meeting with a key customer in Kentucky on Thursday and Friday before the race. I tried to see if the meeting could be moved earlier in the week or if someone else on my team could go in my place, but it didn’t work out.  I managed to find a flight from Cincinnati to St. George through Salt Lake, but it didn’t arrive until 11:02pm Friday night.  KB was originally going to come with me on this trip, but with my late arrival we decided it wasn’t worth her driving up or coming up at all. 

Normally I have a hard time getting a good sleep the night before a race due to jitters, anxiety, not wanting to miss the alarm, etc.  Knowing this, I try hard to get a solid sleep the 2^nd to last night prior to a race.  Thursday night I did get a good sleep and knowing I had a late arrival, I tried to nap on the plane.  On the way to St. George, the last flight was delayed over an hour and I did not arrive until 12:30am.  A short night was getting shorter!  Then I couldn’t find a cab at the airport and started to get worried.  I went inside and there was an attendant at Enterprise.  They only had one car left, but it was reserved.  The attendant considered the situation.  He said again that the car was reserved, however, he had been waiting a while and wasn’t able to reach the person with the reservation, so he decided to give me the car instead so he could go home.  My luck was turning.  I finally got to the hotel and got my gear sorted out.  My alarm gave me 2 hours of sleep. 

Gear: Newton Gravity IV shoes with Slick Laces, Brooks socks, Nike shorts, new Slick Laces singlet from my sponsor JB, Cadence hat, Oakley sunglasses, SPI belt with gels and phone, Motorola S10 Bluetooth headphones, Garmin 910XT, and dollar store camo gardening gloves.

Nutrition: Salmon linguine for lunch Friday, then Chick-fil-A club meal for dinner and nuts and raisins for snacks.   In the morning I took Ionix and Amped when I first got up.  Then before leaving the room I had a chocolate IsaLean shake.  I ate a bagel and an IsaLean bar about an hour before race time.  I carried 2 salt tablets and 4 Isagenix gels (sample products in testing) during the race.  I took water at each aid station starting at mile 3, but no Gatorade.  At each station I took one or two small swallows and sometimes three.  I took the salt tablets at mile 13 and the gels at miles 5, 11, 17, and 22, each right before an upcoming aid station so I could chase it down with some water.

After I picked up my bib, I met MW at the bus pickup and we headed up to the start.  There were wood piles for the fire pits and they were handing out space blankets for warmth.  The weather forecast was for very light winds and the temp around my projected finishing time was low 60s; perfect running weather!  I took throw-away sleeves and the gardening gloves to stay warm for the first few miles, but as we were putting our gear bag in the truck I took off my sleeves and left them too. 

There was quite a jam at the gear check-in.  I waited too long to drop it because I was worried about getting cold and still thinking about what to keep.  Hearing the countdown, MW grabbed my bag for me and told me to head over to the start.  I hustled over the fence into the starting chute and noticed the 3:25 pacer go by.  I crossed the start line about 2 minutes after the gun and was glad that I didn’t hurt myself climbing over the fence awkwardly! 

The first 2 miles were about avoiding runners in the dark darting left and right to gain an open lane.  By mile 3 I was warm so I set my gloves on a table at the aid station.  MW later reported that he saw them thereJ  It was still fairly dark, but the road was visible.  The running surface was asphalt and it had a lot of undulation.  I worked to find the smoother lines which seemed to be the tire paths.  At one point a woman moving behind me tripped me and I nearly went down; close one! 

I settled into my target pacing and the miles slipped by.  I lost myself listening to the music, absorbing the scenery, reading the occasional spectator sign, and enjoying the pace.  At about mile 6 I did a system check: no rubbing, shoes comfortable (love my Slick Laces!), no hot spots on my feet, and music volume was good.  Upper body was relaxed and hands were not clenched.  I felt a bit of tightness in my right calf and in my left quad.  Nothing painful, but I was hyper sensitive to these minor niggles because I knew what was ahead. 

At mile 7 I passed the 3:25 pace group and I was a little surprised it took me so long to catch them.  Several of the aid stations had a race time display and I noted my start time was almost exactly two minutes behind gun time, putting me at about the 3:23 virtual pacer in the race.  I didn’t worry about being behind my target at this point because I had decided to stick to my pacing plan regardless of what was going on around me.  So far I was slightly ahead of my target, but not overly so.

At about mile 8 after Veyo there is a long steady climb continuing until just past the half way mark.  At the top would be the slowest cumulative average according to my pace plan computations.  I was aiming to be no slower than 7:45 average at that point of the race and I was actually at 7:39, so still slightly ahead of plan.  There was no sign of a 3:20 pace group.

Now for the fun.  There is about 2500 feet of descent in the second half and a few shorter climbs.  Many people report the downhill is a quad killer.  I live in Gilbert, which has about 100ft of total elevation change across the whole city.  There are hills in the surrounding area, but they are not convenient to get to, so the bulk of my training is on the flat.  My run in Stuttgart was hilly and a good test.  I cycle a lot to train for triathlon and I have done CrossFit for strength training, so I thought my legs were well prepared for the hills, but it is hard to know until you experience it.  As the road turned downhill, I eased into a faster pace and tried to keep my legs under me with a fast cadence so I would not pound on my heels and cause braking.  The sun had come up and was illuminating the canyons to my right.  It was stunning to behold and a nice distraction.

I kept watching for the 3:20 pacer.  I actually didn’t know for sure that there was one, but I thought there would be.  I didn’t think I would catch the 3:15 pacer since I was 2 minutes behind the gun time, but I thought I would have seen the 3:20 pacer by this point in the race.

I passed each aid station without incident, slowing slightly to take on some water, but not breaking my stride.  It helped that the aid stations always had the water section after the Gatorade, so I knew where to target my approach.  The Isagenix gels were pleasant to the taste (apple flavor) and did not cause any stomach issues.  My energy level never seemed to drop, so I felt they were effective.  I was sweating and salty, but not overly so.  I never felt a point in the race where I was struggling for energy or fluid.  The strategy of hitting every aid station for a bit of water seemed to be working. 

All systems go.  The miles clicked by and my legs got more and more fatigued, and by mile 16 I could feel both calves and both quads talking to me constantly now.  My descent was going well and my cumulative average pace was gradually dropping with these fast miles.  It dropped as low as 7:26 before the course started flattening out. 

The spectators and volunteers were great and provided some encouragement.  In Snow Canyon the density of spectators increased and it did not abate much for the rest of the run. 

Mile 20:  Now comes the hurt.  I was gearing up mentally to stay steady and strong.  My energy level was good, my legs were talking louder to me, but not in pain, and the music was still rocking.  My mental math told me I was on target for my stretch goal of 3:16.  I dared to visualize finishing with a strong BQ time!

Mile 21:  I started passing people more frequently.  For many miles during the race there was little passing as the racers sorted out into their own individual pacing.  Now I was noticing a few runners would stop at the aid station for a stretch or just to lean on the table for a moment.  There was also a few walking for stretches.  Passed them and didn’t even think about walking. 

Mile 22:  I could see the city below and the St. George Temple in the distance.  What a sight.  There was a slight uphill and I worked to maintain a steady pace, easing off ever so slightly.  Others had to slow more to get up the hill.  Passed them too.

Mile 23:  Still holding my pace and getting really excited.  Legs were screaming at me by now, but responding and my pace was still steady.  Two racers passed me in the last two miles, but I must have passed dozens in the last few miles.  For me, passing is motivating.

Mile 24:  The crowds were getting deeper and the cheering louder.  The hill flattens out and there are a few turns in the last two miles to be careful of.  I could tell I was getting a little less maneuverable on my feet so I had to take care to avoid sudden movements.  I was not breathing too heavily, so I felt I was still running within myself.

Mile 25:  In the flat I had to watch my pacing closer as it was easy to slow down too much and not notice because it took so much effort to stay on pace.  I kept looking at my lap average for just the current mile so I could adjust accordingly and keep as close as possible to goal pace.  At this point, my target pacing was 7:30, but I was hitting 7:40.  I was excited about hitting that close to target so late in the race.  Missing by that little did not become discouraging as missing by a minute or more in Phoenix had.

Mile 26:  Time to dig deep and embrace the hurt.  Almost to the end.  I passed more racers in this stretch.  Some were really struggling.  They were on pace for a great finish time and the wheels were coming off.  I felt bad for them.  That was me at Phoenix, but not this time!

Mile 26.2:  I can see the finishing chute.  I try to accelerate to finish with a sprint but I can’t go any faster.  I am happy to maintain and stay on my feet!  I started to get really emotional as I realized I was going to do it.  I crossed the finish line at gun time of 3:19.  I would find out later that my official chip time was 3:16:59!

I threw my hands in the air for nobody but myself and then stopped about two steps passed the finish.  I put my hands on my knees and a volunteer came to check on me and help me move out of the way.  I gathered myself, collected my medal, and started to make my way to the recovery area.  I did it...  I did it… I qualified for Boston! 

The first bottle of cool water and then cold chocolate milk were fantastic.  I found a spot under a tree and sat down.  My legs were spent.  I soaked in my surroundings as runners came through and met with friends or relatives to start celebrating their accomplishment.  One woman spent some time making some deposits into the garbage bin, but she was OK after that.  It wasn’t too long before MW came through.  I was so happy to see someone I knew!  He also had an excellent race finishing at 3:25 and besting his PR by 20 minutes!

I was starting to get hungry so I started to get up.  Whoa!  Legs don’t move.  No strength to stand up.  MW helped me get vertical, and then I gingerly started walking to one of the food lines.  It felt really good to get some calories in me, but I was really struggling to get around.  I learned it was better to stay standing and moving. 

We took some pictures, checked our official times, ate our fill, and got our medals engraved.  Planes to catch so we headed out to the car and hotel.  I dropped MW off at his hotel and then went to my hotel for a shower before heading to the airport.  I thought I had eaten my fill, but a Wendy’s Spicy Chicken and Frosty called out to me from the side of the road and I heeded. 

I was seated in the plane and noticed a few others that looked like they had also done the race.  We shared stories and congratulations.  The worst part was trying to stand up after the flight!  I could have used a wheel chair.

I looked at my race execution on Strava.  I finished within a minute of my stretch goal time.  My average pace was 7:30.  The last 6 miles were steady and only slightly off my target pace.  I was thrilled with the overall race, but most thrilled I was able to stay strong at the end and I did not walk!  I qualified for Boston 2017 with an 8-minute buffer above the qualifying standard for my age group.  That will definitely be fast enough to get me in!

My legs were stiff and sore for 4 days after the race.  I went to Cadence to use the recovery boots on Monday for half an hour, which really helped.  By Thursday I was able to get out and run again.  I felt lingering effects when running until about 16 days after the race.  At that point I was able to run distance comfortably, but I still didn’t have the same top end speed I was used to until about 30 days after.

What’s next?  HITS Palm Springs full triathlon in December and then Phoenix Marathon in February.  I plan to ease up on my running mileage slightly for the next two months while I ride and swim more to get ready for the tri, and then I will ramp up again in Jan/Feb for the marathon.  I want to keep working on my speed, turnover, and mental toughness to finish strong!